By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Google's first office in Pakistan on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in the country's digital transformation journey.

The inauguration ceremony, held at the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad, was attended by Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson L. White and US Chargé d'Affaires Natalie Baker. The event came a day after Google formally opened its local office, expanding its physical presence in the country.

Addressing the ceremony, PM Sharif described the development as a "major milestone" in Pakistan's growing partnership with the global technology giant.

He noted that Pakistan is undergoing a "major digital transformation" in governance and the economy, and briefed the delegation on the government's vision of a "Digital Nation Pakistan".

"We have a youth bulge, and we can really turn around Pakistan's fortunes," the prime minister said, expressing hope that cooperation with Google would further expand and create new avenues in the country's digital economy.

White thanked the premier and said Google had been investing in Pakistan for over a decade, contributing more than Rs3.9 trillion to economic activity and supporting over 960,000 jobs. He announced that Google would provide free one-year subscriptions to Google Gemini for all Pakistani students.

"Our ambition of making Pakistan a 30-billion-dollar IT export hub aligns with the goals that we have at Google," White said, adding that the company was committed to investing in Pakistani people, hardware manufacturing, and local businesses.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry held a separate meeting with a Google delegation led by Senior Director David Wheeler on Wednesday to discuss digital security and counterterrorism cooperation.

"Pakistan wants to further enhance cooperation and coordination with Google for a safe and peaceful digital environment," Chaudhry said during the meeting.

"Pakistan's geographical location is different from that of other countries, and digital platforms will have to take Pakistan's specific circumstances into consideration," the minister added.

Chaudhry emphasized that terrorists use social media to promote terrorism and spread fear, and that "proactive monitoring of social media is indispensable" given Pakistan's circumstances.

Wheeler assured the minister that Google would continue cooperating with the government to ensure a safe digital environment in Pakistan.

The meeting was also attended by Google Pakistan representative Dr. Kyle Gardner, members of the Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority, Director General of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, and other senior officials